Premium
ATP and chlorophyll a as estimators of phytoplankton carbon biomass 1
Author(s) -
Hunter Bonita L.,
Laws Edward A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1981.26.5.0944
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , nutrient , chlorophyll a , phosphate , biology , nitrogen , growth rate , chlorophyll , interspecific competition , botany , chemistry , ecology , biochemistry , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry
Thalassiosira fluviatilis, Amphiprora paludosa, and Dunaliella tertiolecta were grown in continuous culture at 20°C on a 12:12 L:D cycle under nutrient and light limitation. Diurnal periodicity was clearly evident in both ATP:C and Chl a :C ratios, but the magnitude of the diurnal changes was relatively small. The greatest range of ATP:C and Chl a :C ratios was found at low growth rates, the highest ratios being characteristic of light limitation and the lowest associated with nutrient limitation. Under strictly nitrogen limitation the range of ATP:C ratios was about 2.5–5.5 mg·g −1 ; Chl a :C ratios were more variable. Under phosphate limitation both ATP:C and Chl a:C ratios varied by about a factor of six. Under light limitation ATP:C ratios were insensitive to growth rate, as were Chl a :C ratios at low growth rates. Interspecific differences in both ATP:C and Chl a:C ratios were great enough to suggest that even a cursory examination of phytoplankton species composition could improve estimates of phytoplankton carbon based on ATP or Chl a measurements.